


So After

by oakfarmer



Series: Filed Away [1]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Afterglow, F/M, Paperwork Series, Post-Book 3: Mockingjay, growing back together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:16:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29505375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oakfarmer/pseuds/oakfarmer
Summary: "So after, when he whispers, "You love me. Real or not real?" I tell him, Real."So after ‘so after’Peeta tries to go about his routines the day after Katniss told him ‘Real’.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Series: Filed Away [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1481024
Comments: 31
Kudos: 107





	So After

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Little_Lynx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Lynx/gifts).



So after, Peeta lays back against the pillow. His hands interlocked behind his head. He looks over at Katniss. The smirk already on his face growing smugger at the sight.

Her chest heaves as she works to catch her breath. 

“You love me, real or not real?” 

She smiles and pushes her wild hair away from her mouth. “Real.” She repeats the same answer she gave him last night. 

Last night. When the months of heated kisses and soft touches had grown into something insatiable between them. When she’d panted against his neck that only one thing was going to satisfy her hunger. 

“Pancakes!” Peeta jolts up and grabs his prosthetic from its spot beside their bed. 

“Hmm?” Her singsong hum, as she curls into the tangled sheet, tempts him to abandon the day.... and the clothes he should put on. 

Regretfully, he pulls on his boxers. “I always imagined, if we ever…” How should he finish that sentence? When the topic revolves around their relationship, he’s more careful with his tongue these days. (Though she didn’t mind what his loose tongue could do mere minutes ago.) He knows his words can send her running faster than any action he would take. The first time he told her he loved her, she’d shut him out for close to a week. 

Peeta rolls back towards her. He smooths her hair and presses a lingering kiss to her cheek. “...if we ever did that, the morning after I’d make you pancakes.” 

She squints one eye open to peek at him. “You _always_ imagined that?” 

“Well,” He pecks another kiss to her shoulder before climbing out of the bed, “since I learned you love them.” 

Katniss lifts her head and playfully scrunches her face. “Since the second week you came back to Twelve?” 

“Might have been the end of the first one.” He can’t help but laugh as he zips up his pants. That was way too early to have been thinking about that. It’s taken over a year for them to reach this point. 

But the sound she made when she’d taken that first bite....

For a brief moment, he wonders what his pre-hijacking breakfast plan had been. He must have had one, considering how quickly the thought had come back. It doesn’t matter anymore, because today it’s pancakes. 

“Now you really are going to be late.” She sits up. Draping the sheet with a sense of modesty he finds adorable. 

“Pancakes are quick.” Peeta says working his arm through his shirt sleeve. 

Katniss flops over onto the mattress. If satisfying her makes her this agreeable, he might never lose an argument again. 

  
  


The pancake flips through the air, as if in slow motion, before landing on the kitchen floor. Buttercup pounces on the casualty. 

“Sorry! I … I should have…” Katniss bites her lip, suppressing a blushy smile. 

She’s made a habit of making more noise when she walks to avoid startling him around the house. But it wasn’t the fault of her silent tread that he lost control of his spatula. 

Standing by the table in nothing but one of his t-shirts. Hem barely covering his view. The combination of her bed head hair and exposed skin in the soft dawn light has him dizzy. 

Peeta closes his slack jaw and the space between them. Gathering her into his arms, he presses a slow kiss to her lips. Her warmth radiates through the thin cotton fabric. 

He pulls back as his fingers graze just below her curves “It’s all right to surprise me like this anytime you feel like it.” 

She laughs. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” 

Something crosses her face before she shakes her head and slides into the chair. The stack of pancakes on her plate is plenty high even without the one Buttercup is scarfing down. Strawberries from the forest, fresh whipped cream, and maple syrup arranged in front of her place. 

He kisses the top of her head. “See you tonight.” 

“Wait, you’re not eating?” 

“Late remember.” 

Katniss cuts a generous bite, dipping it in the whipped cream. She holds out the mouthful to him. 

Instead of taking the fork, he gently takes her wrist. Eyes never leaving her face as he drags the bite between his teeth. 

  
  


Peeta slides the raised loaves into the expanded oven. The silence in the bakery kitchen is especially acute on a morning like today. 

The updated recreation of his childhood home is grounding. Every surface connecting him to his past. His homage to the family that won’t be coming down the stairs. 

The father, who dreamt of having an oven this size. The mother, who would finally have a deep double bowl sink exactly where she always said it should be. The brothers, who would be giving him a ribbing as they all worked. 

Rye would have spent the day teasing Peeta with an embarrassing amount of innuendo. Bannock might have only winked but would have broken into a grin at every single one of their middle brother’s antics. 

Peeta punches another batch of dough. Kneading it the way his father taught him. He’ll have to limit the bakery’s normal options until he can catch up later in the day. 

The district’s population will soon pass what he can keep up with. Bakeries really aren’t meant to be worked alone. 

He’s rushing to finish up the work crew’s order when Thom walks through the back door. 

“Hey, Thom. Should be a few more minutes. I got behind. You can go ahead and I can bring it out to---”

“Woah. Slow down there, Mellark.” Thom’s deep voice calms his hurried pace. “Did you sleep at all last night? If you had an episode, I’ve told you to take a break. No one wants you running ragged over here.” 

Peeta tries to steady his racing words. “It wasn’t an episode. I’m great. We had a great night.” Stop talking. “I just… lost track of time this morning.” 

“Oh.” Thom is watching him too closely. His eyebrow raises up. “Ohh.” 

Oh, no. 

“If you need to take a break to keep our Huntress happy, that’s fine too.” Thom winks. 

If he doesn’t figure out how to wipe the giddy smile off his face, the whole town is going to know their private business before lunch. 

Peeta’s hand runs through his hair. “Thom, please don’t say anything to anyone.”

“You know I’d never do that to you.” His face goes serious. “To either of you.”

He does know. Thom’s been a wonderful friend. He’s been like the shepherd of their slowly rebuilding district. Especially so for the three lost sheep that live on the hill. 

“Thank you.” Peeta nods. 

Thom grins. “Just let me know if you want to be closed tomorrow, Mellark.” 

  
  


The bakery bell rings. Peeta pushes through the kitchen doors to find Katniss already rounding the counter. 

Her afternoon visits have been more frequent as of late. He didn’t realize how reassuring seeing her this one would be. 

Katniss kisses his cheek as she quickly greets him. “I caught our dinner. I need your Mom’s squirrel casserole instructions.” 

He’d written down as many family recipes as he could remember. A project he’d started while still handcuffed in his District 13 hospital bed. 

“But you don’t like that recipe.” 

Katniss digs around in the front cabinet. “I never said that. I said we always fried them.” Yes, she said that. But she also gave him over half her portion the last time he made it. 

She plucks the card from the wooden box. “Plus you made my favorite for breakfast, so I wanted to make sure we had your favorite for dinner.”

Ah, it’s their dance. 

Peeta loops his arms around her waist. “That’s very sweet of you. But the pancakes were for last night.”

Katniss smirks as she looks up at him. Walking her fingers up his chest. “Then maybe dinner is for this morning.” 

He laughs. Delighting in her flirtatious mood. “I love you so much.” 

She tenses in his arms. Her lips part and she sucks in a sharp breath before squeezing them shut again. 

Peeta freezes. She hasn’t reacted to one of his declarations like this in months. 

He’s about to back up when she slams her mouth into his. Her tongue runs along his lower lip as his butt hits against the front counter. 

This is how she kissed him last night. With an urgency and need he could almost remember. He pulls her flush against him, he’s growing hard already. 

The delicious moan as she grinds over him—-

 _Ding_. “Hey, Peet— oh!” 

Katniss jumps away from him at the shop bell and the familiar friendly voice. 

Peeta cranes his neck to look back at Delly. 

“Oh! I’m sorry… oh, it’s happening… ahhhhh … carry on. Please, don’t stop on my account. I’m sorry!” Delly fumbles as she backs up out the door. 

She jerks it open again to flip the sign over to ‘closed’. She gives them an enthusiastic thumbs up before dashing away from the bakery. 

Katniss’ face is beet red as she fidgets with the card in her hands. “I’ll see you back at the house.” 

Peeta swallows. Trying to return to the casual friendly air from when she’d first greeted him. “Do you want me to bring anything in particular?”

“Whatever you want to go with it is fine.” She’s not looking at him. 

A twinge of fear tickles the base of his neck. She’s pulling away. If she is, he’ll have to give her the space she needs and trust that she’ll come back to him. Another one of their practiced dances. 

“Okay.” He’ll give her whatever she needs right now. 

The soft smile she gives him eases some of the tightness in his chest. 

She eases back through the kitchen door and waves goodbye, before slipping away. 

Peeta leans against the front counter. His body is immediately reminded of the position they were just in. 

He can’t be upset with Delly for the interruption. She’ll be the happiest for them in town. With Haymitch a close second. 

  
  


“I hope you wrapped it up.”

Peeta blinks at his mentor. 

“I hope you used protection last night.” Haymitch points to Peeta’s crotch. 

“Y-yes.” Dr. Aurelius gave him a box of condoms during their last session before he returned to 12. The latex soldiers were probably beginning to fear expiration. Giving up hope of ever leaving their foil barracks. 

“How did you—“

“You two weren’t exactly quiet, _Peeta._ ” The imitation of his name being called out is far too accurate. 

Peeta groans. “She’ll never let me touch her again if she finds out you heard us.”

“I doubt that would be the result. It sounded like she was thoroughly---“

“Haymitch!”

“Relax, kid. I’m not going to do anything to risk your happiness. Or hers.” Haymitch takes a long swig from his flask. “But I’d appreciate an effort to close the window. The couple minutes it took me to get inside and shut all of mine was more than enough.” 

No wonder it's so stuffy in here. And more… pungent than usual. 

“I’ll also be accepting bribes.” Haymitch rattles the now empty container. 

Peeta sets the basket of bread, cheeses and cake down on the table. Good thing he’d been feeling generous and added a bottle of wine while he was at it. 

Haymitch peaks at the contents. Nodding approvingly. “Guess I’m not invited to dinner for the next few nights.” 

“Anything else?” He’s out of patience. 

“Congratulations to you both.” Haymitch says with his mouth full of bread. 

Peeta jogs across the yard to their house. As he opens the door he hears metal clang. 

“Katniss?” He rushes towards the kitchen. 

“I’m fine.” Meat is simmering on the stove. The culprit for the sound sits next to the spilled bowl of chopped onions. Katniss curses the cat under her breath. 

Peeta starts to clean up the mess but Katniss blocks him. “I got it.” 

“Okay.” Turning his attention to the stove “How was your day?” He stirs the meat around the pan. 

Katniss jumps up and takes the spoon out of his hand. “It’s not ready yet. We were missing some ingredients and I had to go to the market.”

“What can I help with then?” He surveys the half chopped vegetables. Clearly they need another onion. 

“No. Nothing, I need to make it for you.” Her voice cracks. 

Again today Peeta freezes. Something is wrong. “Why?”

She doesn’t answer. 

“Are you .. are you feeling okay? About everything?”

“Yes.”

At least that answer was quick. He doesn’t know what to do. If she wanted space, this isn’t how she normally goes about it. Gently he takes her limp hand into his. “Katniss, please talk to me.”

She squeezes her eyes shut and takes a deep breath. When she finally opens them, she squares her shoulders and lifts her chin. 

“I love you.”

The clearly spoken words ring in the air. 

Those three words hit him harder than he could have thought. After everything, after ‘real’, he didn’t know he still _needed_ those words from her lips. But maybe she knew he did. 

Katniss steps closer. “I wanted to say the actual words…. for you to hear it. You know words don’t come naturally to me the way they do for you but ...” 

“Peeta,” Her voice is starting to shake. “I’ve known that I love you for a long time now.”

He should tell her he loves her back. That he didn’t think it was possible to fall in love with her any deeper, but he just did. His throat has decided to close on him at the moment. 

Maybe this is how she feels when the words are felt so strongly they can tie up the tongue. As if to utter them could break something. 

“Peeta?”

Her wavering whisper breaks his trance. 

The need behind his kiss is quickly matched by her own. 

His life is marked in before’s and after’s. Before the reaping, after the quell. Before the bombing, after the hijacking. 

He wishes he knew when the exact moment was that Katniss Everdeen fell in love with him. 

But where would he mark the moment he truly fell in love with her? Was it the song? The cave, the train, the beach? Was it on a quiet day as they were growing back together? 

All he knows for sure is that now and forever, they are both in the after.   
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Little_Lynx for inspiring this Paperwork addition.  
> The condom soldiers are a shout out to Peeta's Pocket by Buttercupbadass. A hilarious one-shot and my favorite fic.  
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
